Bihar Police arrests 9 persons for selling a oxygen cylinder for ₹1.10 lakh

50 litre oxygen cylinders normally cost ₹8,000 each but were currently being black marketed for ₹25,000-30,000 each by unscrupulous traders and middlemen looking to profit from its high demand among Covid-19 patients in Bihar.

Bihar Police’s economic offence unit (EoU) arrested nine persons for selling an oxygen cylinder for ₹1.10 lakh to an NRI, who needed it for his relatives under treatment for Covid-19 in home isolation in the city. The arrests were made on Monday.

Bihar Police has arrested several people for black marketing of oxygen cylinders, concentrators and life saving medicines in the past few days.

Main accused Harsh Raj Verma and three of his associates: Gauri Shankar, Ravi Kumar and Rahul Kumar, were the first to be arrested based on the complaint filed by the NRI, a USA resident, who is currently in Patna. He didn’t wish to reveal his name.

The NRI approached additional director general (ADG) of EoU, Nayyar Husnain Khan, about five days ago with a complaint alleging Verma, a native of Motihari district who was currently staying in Patna’s Indrapuri locality, sold him one oxygen cylinder, 50 litres in capacity, for ₹1.10 lakh. The money was electronically transferred to Harsh Raj Verma’s Bank of Baroda account, said the police officer.

50 litre oxygen cylinders, also referred to as Jumbo cylinders, normally cost ₹8,000 each but were currently being black marketed for ₹25,000-30,000 each by unscrupulous traders and middlemen looking to profit from its high demand for treatment of the continuously rising number of Covid-19 patients. In the past few days, the EoU has arrested several people for black marketing of oxygen cylinders, concentrators and life saving medicines from across the state.

Verma was apprehended by an EoU team headed by two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) Bhaskar Ranjan and Rajneesh Kumar from Rajiv Nagar police station area in the capital. His bank statement showed approximately ₹9 lakh were deposited in his account within the last six days.

During interrogation, Verma revealed the name of his three associates, who were also arrested on Monday. The remaining five people were arrested later during multiple raids conducted by the unit. Police also seized two Jumbo oxygen cylinders, a Maruti Swift Dzire car, two motorcycles and an e-rickshaw from their possession.

Earlier, an EoU team led by additional superintendent of police (SP) V Dayal and a team of Delhi police arrested two persons, Kishan Kumar Gupta and Firoj Khan, from Patna’s Danapur police station area for cheating a Covid patient in Delhi of ₹5 lakh with the false promise of delivering them oxygen cylinders.

Their bank accounts were frozen by Delhi police and their passbooks, ATMs and mobile phones seized.